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Modular Playsets!

And finally...

Originally posted by Rollo Tomassi in the old forums
Sectional Playsets #5: Droid Control Ship
6-07-2001 - 05:01 PM
Sectional Playsets are smaller, more affordable playsets that can be purchased separately and combined together for a super cool diorama. Each one comes with an exclusive figure.

Section #1: Bridge. Comes with an Exclusive Tey How figure. Two leveled with a control chair for droid activation, a light-up "holographic" stand to place Sidious, Maul, or Qui-Gon(?) holograms on, and an interchangable viewscreen to communicate with Amidala. Retail $30.

Section #2: Bridge Doors. With exclusive Qui-Gon "shivving" action. Connected to the Bridge Playset. Two sets of doors close off the bridge, while Qui-Gon 'burns" through the door. Retail $20.

Section #3: Hallway Type 1. Used to curve out from either the left or the right or the Bridge Doors playset. Comes with two PK droids. Can be connected to other hallway sets or playsets. Retail $15.

Section #4: Hallway Type 2. Straight Hallway across from Bridge Playset. Comes with Rolling Droideka and "Shielded" Droideka. 12" long with doors halfway along on either side. Can be connected to other hallway sets or playsets. Retail $15.

Section #5: Conference Room. Either for the Jedi Arrival or the Sith Conference. Connects to the opposite end of the curved hallway. Has a long table and chairs and Plexi windows. Comes with an exclusive Hath Monchar action figure. Retail $20.

Section #6: Engineering Room. Random room with various consoles and cargo crates that connects to dead end hallways. Has a Plexi window for Anakin to "fly"past. Comes with an Exclusive Security Droid. Retail $20.

Ahhhhh, another spectacular playset for the price of an AT-AT or Royal Starship (before clearance).

Whew! And I seriously had more. A Death Star II throne room. A Lars moisture farm. An Echo base with med station and control room. And the whopper...a Super Death Star playset with no less than 18 different sections (including a gargantuan Docking bay 327 which would hold a Millenium Falcon and/or Imperial Shuttle)!!

By the way, anybody who wants to put that cloth robe on POTJ Old Ben. His arms are a little big and the robe gets a little tight on his plastic "sleeves" but don't let that discourage you from having the coolest Obi Wan Kenobi figure ever!

Originally posted by Rollo Tomassi By the way, anybody who wants to put that cloth robe on POTJ Old Ben. His arms are a little big and the robe gets a little tight on his plastic "sleeves" but don't let that discourage you from having the coolest Obi Wan Kenobi figure ever!

Modular Playset #6: Death Star II Throne Room

Section#1: The Elevator. Comes with an Exclusive Royal Guard. Real opening elevator doors and the small catwalk connecting to the main throne room. Has break away rails for the final conflict between Vader, Luke , and the Emperor. Retail $20.

Section #2: Generator Controls. The center section of the throne room with two generator control hubs. Connects the elevator section to the main staircase. Comes with an exclusive Imperial Dignitary. Retail $20.

Section #3: The Main Staircase. The opulent staircase and upper platform. Comes with the Emperor's threat board and a second exclusive Dignitary. Retail $20.

Section #4: The Imperial Throne. Connects to the main staircase. Comes with the Emperor's throne and the giant window behind him. Also comes with a Deluxe Soft Goods Emperor with knee articulation so he can stand or sit on his throne. Retail $20.

Section #5: Catwalks. Connect to either side of the throne room playset. Collapse after Vader "throws" his saber into the support struts. Retail $15.

Roughly, the same height as the vintage Death Star playset. When closed up, it's a globe with detailing that makes it a fine display Death Star like has never before been created. It opens into 4 wedges, each with interconnected play areas.

With a playset this size, all of the attributes of the ANH battlestation as well as the ROTJ additions could easily be included adding tremendous value, both for play and economy.

It would be slightly more expensive than than the typical cardboard cutout playsets that we've been offered, but the cache and originality of it would attract young and old alike.

While the above ideas of having Hasbro release separate interlocking pieces isn't a bad idea, I don't think that they would be nearly as marketable as one giant kick-*** looking Death Star sitting on a toy shelf. If you build it, they will come.

I wouldn't mind it if Hasbro took Art Asylum's idea and make a deluxe series with inter-connecting playset pieces from each figure. They could do figures with a lot of articulation so you can really play with them in the playset and there would be different series to do, it would especially make a great thing for kids AND collectors because they could make more resculpts of figures that would be enjoyable.

"Hokey packaging and ancient gimmicks are no match for good detail on your figure, kid.""I am a Klingot from Oklahoma in human boy form.""We came, we saw, we conquered... We, woke up!"

Stillakid, it it the whole globe or just the top half? if its the whole globe. how do you stop it from rolling? What do you do with the wasted space at the top and bottom of the wedges that are too small for any play value? What's in each of the four wedges? What are the dimensions? Foot tall? three foot tall? Four vintage Death Star playsets makes foe a HUGE box and a hefty price tag. I'd say between $400 and $500 for something that big and complex. If you didn't skip on it's sturdiness/playability, that is.

Originally posted by Rollo Tomassi Stillakid, it it the whole globe or just the top half? if its the whole globe. how do you stop it from rolling? What do you do with the wasted space at the top and bottom of the wedges that are too small for any play value? What's in each of the four wedges? What are the dimensions? Foot tall? three foot tall? Four vintage Death Star playsets makes foe a HUGE box and a hefty price tag. I'd say between $400 and $500 for something that big and complex. If you didn't skip on it's sturdiness/playability, that is.

Whole globe with a slightly flattened bottom. Imagine taking the vintage Death Star playset and adding a curved "shell" to it. That would be one of the wedges.

I think that it would work out best to have one half be one of the pieces then split the other half into two wedges. The side that is an entire half could have longer areas in it, like hallways with blastdoors or even a hangar bay. The wedges could have the Emperor's chamber at the top and the trash compactor at the bottom. Suffice it to say that there is a lot of room to integrate many of the favorite Death Star attributes. The vintage playset had a 21" tall elevator which could be used as a central "core" to connect the pieces together. The entire playset would likely top out around 2' tall (and around) once you put the curved shell on it.

That price tag you quoted is a bit high I think. Remember, they charge whatever they want to...whatever they think they can get. A 3" action figure doesn't cost anywhere near $7 bucks to design, manufacture, and distribute when they make a lot of them. They charge that money because they know they can get it. Look at the price drops in the Queen's ship, the 12" Dewback, the 12" "pegwarmers", pegwarmer's in general. Somebody is still making a little profit at those enormous price cuts. That's why they stop dropping the price tag at a certain point, otherwise they'd just give them away for free. So this playset might have a real cost of $50 to $75 to produce and distribute, which they would inflate to around $150 retail. That is a lot of money, but people are generally willing to accept the cost if they perceive the value in the product. I of course guessed at those costs, but I averaged out what I think is the real cost (lower) and what I think they'd ask for (higher). My honest opinion is that it would cost less per unit to make and distribute and a fair retail price would be around $100. I factored in the greed-profit motive.

I'd buy it and I believe that a lot of other people would too. The Queen's ship sits on clearance shelves as we speak (I believe) due to a poor lead in (TPM wasn't as good as the classic trilogy). A really cool looking classic trilogy toy will get the parent's attention (late 20's to late 30's) (nearly everybody liked the classic trilogy) and no kid could resist a toy that huge. It would sell out. Almost guaranteed.